Mayor Lenny Curry wants the Downtown riverfront Jacksonville Landing back.
“Right now,” he said Wednesday.
It might take longer, but Curry is in a hurry.
The mayor said he is willing to begin negotiating a deal with Landing owner Toney Sleiman to return the retail center to the city.
“I expect we’ll have a conversation in the near term,” Curry said, but did not have a meeting scheduled.
“We won’t get into next year and not have had a discussion,” he said.
Curry spoke with Daily Record reporters and editors Wednesday.
Sleiman, president of developer Sleiman Enterprises Inc., did not respond to a request for comment.
Curry said people are frustrated with the state of the riverfront mall that was built in 1987, which has seen a large drop in tenants and has not lived up to its perceived long-term potential as a popular tourist attraction or central Downtown gathering place.
Curry said he believes there is a willingness on both sides to resolve the conflict over who controls the property, although he declined to say what the city’s next move could be should negotiations fail.
“All options are absolutely on the table,” he said. “A negotiated transaction is the best way forward. I’ll leave it at that.”
Curry said he would like to see the recent harsh rhetoric between the two sides “toned down” but reiterated that the city won’t be forced into a compromised position.
“I think that’s what came out from the other side,” said Curry. “That’s not going to happen and what’s there now is not acceptable.”
Sleiman Enterprises, Sleiman’s family business, purchased the Landing for $5.1 million in 2003.
The city owns the land beneath it, which Sleiman is leasing through 2056.
The property also is caught up in a 2015 lawsuit between the city and Jacksonville Landing Investments LLC over unpaid property taxes and the purchase of an adjacent parking lot. Redevelopment efforts are unlikely until the legal issues are settled or the city can reclaim the property.
“There’s all kinds of stuff tangled there,” said Curry.
In June, the feud between the city and Sleiman Enterprises became public when both sides reached out to news organizations to share their grievances.
The Jacksonville Business Journal reported a letter sent by Sleiman claiming the city was refusing to work with him to redevelop the property, and that his hands were tied.
He threatened to put tenants into long-term leases, effectively stalling redevelopment, if the city didn’t respond.
A week later, Curry told The Florida Times-Union he could take the property back if that was the case.
When asked Wednesday if a negotiation is a real possibility, Curry said “anything is possible.
“I’m always willing to work with someone to come to a resolution.”
@DavidCawton
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